1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collapsible funnel and more particularly to a funnel packaged in a collapsed form and adapted to be quickly and easily expanded into a funnel with a fluid inlet opening on one end and a fluid outlet opening on an opposing end, the funnel being provided with optional perforations and/or printed indicia for facilitating selection of the fluid outlet size, and a business method of using a funnel blank or a collapsed funnel as a substrate for printed indicia and used as or incorporated into a printed publication, such as a sports program, catalog or advertisement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various funnel systems are known for use with various fluids. A common application of such funnel systems relates to the use of various fluids in various vehicles including automobiles. For example, motor oil is normally provided in a sealed can or a container with a screw off cap. Such motor oil is sold in most retail distribution markets as well as in various service stations. In order to avoid spilling the oil all over the engine, normally a re-usable funnel is used and inserted into the oil receiving receptacle of the engine. In many applications, such funnels are not readily available and as such consumers who purchase oil in service stations take the chance of spilling oil on various engine parts while attempting to pour the engine oil into the engine oil receiving receptacle on their automobile engine.
In order to resolve this problem, various systems have been developed, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,101,870; 5,104,012; 5,033,521; 4,239,130; 6,112,949; 5,060,849; 5,601,230 and French Patent No. 2 565 956. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,012 discloses a container with a flexible tube removably attached to the exterior of the container in a flattened position that is adapted to be attached to a spout on a container to form a dispenser for dispensing the fluid within the container. U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,949 discloses a container with an extendable bellows-like tube disposed within the container that is adapted to be pulled out when the cap is removed to form a dispenser for the fluid within the container. U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,521 discloses an oil cap for sealing the inlet port of an oil receiving receptacle on an automobile. The cap is configured with a collapsible funnel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,870 discloses a fluid container with a disposable funnel formed to the contour of an upper portion of the container and adapted to fit over the top outside of the container and be secured thereto by way of the cap. With such a configuration, when the cap is removed, the disposable funnel is inverted and inserted into the oil receiving receptacle to enable the fluid within the container to be poured into the oil receiving receptacle without making a mess. U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,130 discloses an oil caddy adapted to be secured in a trunk of an automobile or other vehicle which includes a canister for holding an oil can and a funnel attached to the upper portion of the canister. The funnel in this embodiment is not disposable. French Patent No. 2 565 956 discloses a collapsible funnel system formed from a number of concentric rings which are configured such that in an expanded configuration, the concentric rings form a funnel. The patents disclosed above all disclose various types of funnels for use with various fluids. Unfortunately, all of these systems are rather complicated and thus expensive which explains why none of these systems are in widespread use.
Other funnel-type systems are known which are less expensive to produce. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,849 discloses a carton for carrying, for example, a case of oil containers. The carton is provided with various die cuts which enable the carton to be folded in two different configurations thus providing a dual purpose carton. In one configuration, the carton may be folded into a box for simply carrying various fluid containers. In the alternate configuration, the carton can be refolded into a funnel to facilitate pouring of the fluid content within one of the containers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,230 discloses another less expensive type funnel system. In particular, the '230 patent discloses a box for carrying multiple fluid containers. The lid of the box is die cut and preformed with fold lines which are prestamped to enable a portion of the lid to be removed from the top of the box and folded into a funnel. The problem with the systems disclosed in the '849 and '230 is that these patents disclose a funnel system in which a single disposable funnel is provided for a multiple number of fluid containers. Unfortunately, with such a design it is very likely that once the funnel is formed and used once it will likely be discarded and not available for use for the remaining fluid containers. Thus, there is a need for a collapsible funnel for use with a fluid container which will likely be available for use with each individual fluid container.